Royal Decree No. 16
Dated 7/3/1382 A.H.
In the Name of God, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
We, Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud,
King of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,
Having reviewed Article Nineteen of the Council of Ministers Law issued by Royal Decree No. 28 dated 22/10/1377 A.H.;
And having examined Council of Ministers Resolution No. 144 dated 26/2/1382 A.H.;
And upon the submission presented to us by the Prime Minister;
We hereby decree the following:
Article One
The Council of Ministers shall, whenever required by the public interest, hold government employees accountable regarding the sources of their wealth, as well as the wealth of their minor children and their adult children whose means of income are unknown, in addition to the wealth of their spouses.
For this purpose, the Council shall establish a tripartite committee composed of:
- The President of the General Auditing Bureau, as Chairman,
- Two investigators from the Board of Grievances, as Members.
This committee may, in the course of its duties, seek assistance from any accounting experts, whether from government entities or otherwise.
Article Two
If an employee fails to provide lawful justification for the wealth owned by him or by any of the persons mentioned in the preceding Article—where such wealth raises suspicion of having been acquired through bribery, gifts, or the exploitation of official authority—then the Council of Ministers, based on the recommendation of the aforementioned committee, shall order the confiscation of half of the suspicious assets, and shall issue a ruling dismissing the employee from government service.
Article Three
The provisions of this Decree shall not preclude criminal liability where its conditions are met.
Article Four
The Prime Minister and all Ministers, each within their respective jurisdiction, shall implement this Royal Decree as of the date of its publication.
Royal Signature
Saud